Charcoal starters, by which charcoal used in outdoor grills and the like can be ignited by using newspaper or the like instead of flammable liquid starters, which are somewhat dangerous and expensive and may impart an undesirable flavor to foods, are well known, as exemplified by U.S. patents to Byers et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,167,040 and 3,116,704. The present invention is an improvement over the prior art devices. In one embodiment, it provides for positive retention of paper in the housing and of the charcoal grate when the starter is set on a base, and permits easy dumping while ensuring that the ignited charcoal is not dumped until the starter is lifted from the base upon which it has been set. Means are provided for inhibiting occlusion of openings in the grate by either paper or charcoal. Another improvement, which is described in connection with a second embodiment but is applicable to either, lies in the provision of a lip on the charcoal grate, to inhibit jamming of charcoal when the grate is dumped.